Beer, wine festivals abound in November

Kirby Nelson, vice president and brewmaster at Wisconsin Brewing Co. in Verona, walks by huge fermentation tanks filled with recently brewed beer. The $11 million brewery will open Friday, ushering in a couple of weeks' worth of beer and wine festivals.

This week's opening of Wisconsin Brewing Co. in Verona offers a nice segue into a quartet of local beer and wine celebrations.

Fall Fest of Ale, the Nov. 9 annual fundraiser for the Janesville Kiwanians, will acknowledge the new Wisconsin Brewing Co. by featuring samples of its four beers: Bold & Robust Porter, WBC Amber lager, American IPA (India pale ale) and Session IPA.

Another new brew on the block—Black Rose by Gray's Brewing in Janesville—will be on tap.

And Madison-based MobCraft will bring some different brews developed by average beer lovers.

In all, more than 100 microbrews and hard ciders will be served at the Fest of Ale. The event also offers food—Quaker Steak & Lube and Texas Roadhouse are two vendors—and rock music by Kind of a Big Deal.

Funds raised return to the community as scholarships and assistance for those with disabilities, Kiwanian Tom Waller said.